Gas generator



May 12, 1936. i 0 D. F POOL 2,040,270

GAS GENERATOR Filed June 13, 1953 Patented May 12, 1936 UHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS GENERATOR David Franklin Pool, Washington, D. C. Application June 13, 1933, Serial No. 675,631

bark chips, corn stalks, garbage or the like, and

" to produce therefrom gas and by-products adapted to be used on the farm.

Among the objects of the invention, therefore, are to provide an improved gas producing plant marked by its efficiency, cheapness and simplicity of operation.

Another object of the inventionis to provide an improved furnace for a gas producing plant in which the heat of the combustion gases is most efficiently utilized for the heating of retorts and the production of gas and by-products, such as tar, creosote, charcoal, coke and the like. -Other objects of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description in which are set forth for thepurpose of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, showing a gas producer and purifier;

Fig. 2 is a section online 2-2 of Fig. 1 through the central portion of the furnace of .the gas producing plant.

The gas plantincludes a gasgenerator A com sisting of a fire box I0, having flaring side walls IIJa, which may be lined with fire brick or other suitable material. A grate is indicated at I I beneath which is an ash pit I2 mounted upon a concrete base I3. In the upper enlarged portion of the furnace are mounted a pair of retorts I4, extending parallel to each other lengthwiseof the furfurnace are preferably vertical and parallel and the'front wall is provided with an ash pit door I6, a fire box door I1 and suitable doors I8 for the retorts. In the upper enlarged portion of the furnace there is provided an inner lining I9 extending over the retorts and spaced from the outer casing I5. Preferably suitable insulation material 20 is provided within the space between the lining I9 and the casing I5. A fiueorchimney 2I leads from the rear wall of the furnace. The retorts "are provided with gas offtakes 22, 22, which communicate with a common pipe 23 leading to a gas purifier generally designated by the reference character B.

In order to economize heat, a flue 23a is provided between the two retorts. This flue is formed by means of spaced partitions 24 and 25. The lower partition extends the entire length of the furnace from the front to the rear wall and the upper partition extends from the rear wall nearly to the front wall, leaving an opening at the front as indicated in Fig. 2. The chimney 2I communicates with the flue 23a.

The purifier B comprises an outer casing 26 of rectangular .plan. An inlet 21 is provided at the bottom of the casing and an outlet 28 at the opposite end of the casing from the top thereof. Partitions 29 and 30 divide the purifier chamber into communicating sections. Any desired number of such sections may be provided, but three such sections have been found to give satisfactory results. The partitions are vertical and extend laterally across the chamber.

Gas is introduced into the first casing through a nozzle 3i having a plurality of openings 32 therein. A pipe 33 leads from the top of the first section to the bottom of the second, this pipe being likewise provided with a nozzle 34 having openings 35, and another pipe 36 leads from the top of the second section to the bottom of the third section, being provided with a nozzle 37 having openings 38. Suitable baffles 38a. are secured to the ends of the casing and to. the intermediate partitions 29 and 30. These baffles extend from opposite walls and are downwardly and inwardly inclined, a battle on one wall being shown as interfitting between a pair of bames on the other. From the top of the casing a plurality of baffles 39 of different sizes extend toward the inclined baffles 38a. The purifier is preferably filled with water to a level 40 at about one-third of the height of the casing. Suitable pipes 4 I, 4!, 4I are provided, one for each section, which serve as drains or as fillers. These pipes are preferably provided with valves or cocks and may be turned either upwardly or downwardly, according to whether they are to be used for supplying water or for draining oif by-products.

Operation heat of the fiue gases is very effectively utilized. I

The retorts I4 are filled with slabs of wood, corn stalks, hay, straw or other inexpensive or readily available material with which the average farm is supplied. Garbage may even be used, in which case the device serves the added function of an incinerator. The material in the retorts is highly heated by the gases of combustion passing around the same and a gas-tight fit is maintained by the doors I8, provided with double hinges and 46 and with suitable locking mechanism, clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The gas pipes from the retorts lead to the common ofi'take pipe 23 by means of which gas is delivered into the bottom of the purifier through the openings in the nozzle 3!. The gas bubbles upwardly through the water in the first section of the purifier, thereby removing a large portion of the condensible and soluble materials from the gas. The partially cleaned and purified gas then passes upwardly and around the deflecting baffies extending from the end wall and the partition 29. It will be noted that as shown, one bafile 38a extending from one side wall or partition fits between a pair of similar bafiles extending from the opposite wall or partition, and a comparatively narrow space is provided between opposite baffles adjacent their ends. The path of the gas through these bailles is indicated by the arrows. Moisture or condensible material carried upwardly with the gas will tend to condense on the under surfaces of the bafiles and will run downwardly and be returned to the liquid in the bottom of thepurifier. After leaving the space occupied by the baffles 38a, the gases pass around the top baffles 39 and thence downwardly through the pipe 33 into the bottom of the second section, where they are delivered beneath the surface of the liquid and thence pass upwardly between the deflecting baffles and thence into the bottom of the third section and upwardly through the baffies therein. The cleaned and purified gases are withdrawn at 28 and may be stored in the tank C until such time as they are required for heating or illuminating purposes.

It will be found that tar will accumulate in the first section of the purifier, strong creosote in the second section, and a relatively weak creosote in the third section. The tar may be withdrawn from time to time through a drain 41 at the bottom of the intake pipe 23. Creoso-te may be withdrawn from the second section and a weaker creosote from the third section. These by-products have a definite commercial value and may be sold or may be utilized about the premises, as for example, for dipping shingles, etc. The coke from the retorts may be utilized for any suitable purpose or may be burned within the furnace. Gas produced and purified in accordance with the herein-described process has been found to have a high commercial value.

The following is an analysis of a gas made in accordance with my process from a fuel consisting of 90% pine slabs and 10% refuse coal:

Cal. B. t. u Total inerts, including carbon dioxide,

oxygen and nitrogen 17.2% Specific gravity .72

What I claim is:

1. In a gas plant, a gas generator comprising a furnace having upwardly and outwardly flaring side walls and vertical end walls, a pair of parallel retorts extending lengthwise of the furnace and mounted in the upper portion but spaced from the top thereof, gas-tight closures for said retorts, gas oiftakes for the retorts, a pair of vertically spaced partitions between the retorts forming a flue for the passage of waste gases, the lower partition extending the entire length of the furnace and the other terminating short of the front wall, providing an opening, and a chimney communicating with the opposite end of the flue.

2. In a gas plant, a gas generator comprising a furnace having side and end walls, a pair of parallel gas making retorts extending between the end walls of the furnace and spaced from the other walls thereof, a pair of vertically spaced partitions between the retorts forming a flue for the passage of waste gases, the lower partition extending the entire length of the furnace and the other terminating short of one of the end walls, providing an inlet opening, and a waste gas offtake communicating with the opposite end of the flue.

3. A gas plant as set forth in claim 2, wherein the side walls are upwardly and outwardly flaring and a grate for carrying solid carbonaceous fuel is provided at the bottom of the furnace below the retorts, whereby the heating gases pass upwardly to said retorts, outwardly between the retorts and the side walls and over the retorts, thence through the inlet opening into and through said flue, passing lengthwise between the two retorts to said waste gas offtake.

4. In a gas plant, a gas generator comprising a furnace having upwardly and outwardly flaring side walls and vertical end walls, a pair of parallel cylindrical retorts extending lengthwise of the furnace between the end walls and mounted in the upper portion thereof and spaced from the top, bottom and side walls, gas-tight closures for said retorts, gas ofitakes for the retorts, a pair of vertically spaced partitions between the retorts forming a flue for the passage of heating gases, the lower partition extending the entire length of the furnace and the other terminating short of the front wall, providing an opening, and a chimney communicating with the opposite end of the flue.

5. A gas plant as set forth in claim 4, wherein a grate supporting a bed of solid fuel is provided at the bottom of the furnace and heating gases from the fuel bed pass upwardly about the bottom and sides of the retorts, thence over the retorts to and through said flue and out of said chimney.

DAVID FRANKLIN POOL. 

